In 1998 Birmingham City Council withdrew plans to publish an information booklet for young people dealing with alcohol, bereavement, eating disorders, racism, smoking and coping with stress as well as issues related to sexuality and dealing with prejudice.

BBC: When gay became a four-letter word

Suicide "can also represent the learned or transmitted way of coping with unbearable stress, " Peterson said.

CNN: Suicidal behavior may run in families

Ilan Meyer, a senior scholar at UCLA's School of Law, offers an explanation for these disparities through the "Theory of Minority Stress, " which suggests that these health inequities may be rooted in discrimination, with negative health behaviors acting as coping mechanisms for repeated exposure to stigma-related stress.

CNN: Why bias puts young gays' health at risk